Lou Gramm and John Payne Join to Tour Foreigner and Asia Hits

Lou Gramm and John Payne announced a joint tour on which they’d perform the hits of their respective former bands, Foreigner and Asia.

Billed as Lou Gramm, the Original Voice of Foreigner and Asia Featuring John Payne, dates covering this year and next are to be announced in the near future.

“Foreigner became the first group since the Beatles to have their first eight singles reach the Billboard Top 20, with hits such as ‘Cold as Ice’ and ‘Long, Long Way From Home’ taking the world of rock music by storm," show creators Devgel Productions said in a statement. "Gramm has also enjoyed a successful solo career in between hiatuses with Foreigner, with his 1987 debut Ready or Notfurther proving his versatility in the music industry.”

The producers went on to describe Payne as “a British musician best known as the lead singer and bassist of the progressive rock group Asia. ... The early ‘80s marked the start of a solo career as a rock/soul vocalist … Shortly after, Payne was employed as a backing vocalist by Roger Daltrey of the Who on his solo albums. This led to a series of work singing backing vocals for a variety of prestigious artists and composers.”

After replacing Jeff Lynne in ELO, Payne, the statement notes, “was later invited to join the supergroup Asia, where he fronted the group from 1992 to 2006, releasing 10 albums and embarking on several world tours.”

In addition to the tour with Payne, Gramm will take part in more reunion shows with Foreigner in November and December, with the lineups to include current and previous members of the Mick Jones-led band.